I Came for You
by Chasing Liquor
Summary: Cooper kept his promises, no matter how implausible. So when he said it would be okay, she knew that it would be. Cooper/Brand
1. We Exist

**A/N**: Hello! I'm very pleased to make a small addition to the "Interstellar" fic canon (we aren't many, but we are mighty!). This is by far my all-time favorite movie. And I, like many, loved the relationship between Cooper and Brand. I thought it was handled perfectly in the movie; they hinted at the possibility without losing focus on the Cooper/Murph story. But that's what's great about fan fiction; we can satisfy our appetites.

This was conceived as a one-shot. But if I end up feeling inspired, there's room for it to continue. Fair warning that this may qualify as fluff. Please leave a review and let me know what you think!

* * *

**I Came for You**

* * *

"I came for you."

She tried to brush it off, but his sincerity was breathtaking. His eyes narrowed with such focus, such unguarded feeling, that the mere memory would make her blush.

He held her against his shoulder, letting her sob like he had Doctor Mann. All the while, he whispered assurances that would have rang hollow from someone else. But Cooper kept his promises, no matter how implausible. So when he said it would be okay, she knew that it would be.

His first night there, she crept into his doorway every half-hour—just to prove he was real, that she hadn't gone mad. After the fifth visit, he stopped pretending to be asleep.

Cooper leaned on one elbow, swinging his legs off the bed. "You okay?" he asked gently.

Brand swallowed, forcing a neutral expression. "Yeah."

"Is that a 90 percent 'yeah' or a 10 percent 'yeah?'"

"I'm not sure," she said.

Cooper studied her face, but Brand's features were well schooled. That wall he'd been chipping at still had some layers yet. He gave a muted smile and patted the spot next to him. "I can't sleep either," he admitted. "You wanna sit for a while?"

She hesitated at first, staring at the floor. One foot moved backward before the remnants of pride faded. She sat down beside him.

Cooper regarded her in profile. There was a tinge of black beneath her eyes, but even that had its own beauty. He fought the urge to brush some hair from her face. It was a razor-thin line between comfort and exploitation.

Brand didn't notice. She was too busy trying to keep her breath even. She willed her intellect to defeat her instinct. It was only natural that she'd crave human intimacy after two months alone. CASE was kind and reliable but hardly a conversationalist. Cooper was a warm body, a real voice. Whatever she was feeling had nothing to do with him; any human being could have evoked the same response.

When she met his eyes, all her reasoning vanished. Her stomach tensed as he gave her a little smirk. "CASE been snorin'?" asked Cooper. "Doesn't look like you sleep much."

Brand glanced down with a wry smile. "CASE is great. But it's still hard to be alone."

She jumped slightly when his fingers grazed her arm. He gave a long caress, ending at the elbow, before drawing his hand back. He smiled reassuringly. "I'm real, Amelia. I exist."

Brand's mind screamed at her to run, but her body would not oblige. She lifted her head to meet his eyes. They were soft and calm but held a hint of uncertainty. And it was reassuring to know that Cooper, too, could be confused. Her mouth parted slightly.

Cooper leaned forward as Brand's chin tilted up. They perceived time as on Miller's planet.

"Cooper."

Cooper recoiled, snapping his eyes to the doorway to find TARS. He heaved a sigh and thrust his tongue in his cheek. "Perfect timin', Slick," he hissed.

Brand raised a hand to her mouth, sucking in a breath. She rubbed one cheek.

"Is something wrong with your bed, Doctor Brand?" asked TARS. "Or were you—"

"We're just talkin'," Cooper answered for her.

"Is that a 90—"

"TARS, get the hell outta here," snapped Cooper.

The robot gave a hum of mock-offense. "Cooper, you're getting rude in your old age," TARS lamented, turning away. "I hope none of the colonists throw a baseball in your yard."

Cooper rolled his eyes.

Brand regained her composure, smiling slightly. "Goodnight, TARS."

"Goodnight, Doctor Brand."

When TARS' soft clop finally faded, Brand and Cooper exchanged an awkward smile. She stood up tentatively. "I should go. You must be tired."

Cooper scrutinized her. The dim bulb from the hallway bathed her face in light. She was pale and sad and beautiful. She glanced at the door but made no move toward it.

Cooper caught her small wrist. "Brand..." he breathed.

She blinked slowly. "What?"

He frowned at her exhaustion. If he let her leave, he knew she wouldn't sleep. Part of him hoped she needed to be close to _him_, but he knew deep down she just needed to be near _someone_.

"Why don't you sleep here?" he asked. When her eyebrow raised, he hastened to add: "Not like—I just meant in the same room. Be nice to have company. I can take the floor."

Brand fixed him with a fierce stare, daring him to reveal an ulterior motive. But he only looked back earnestly. How ridiculous, she thought to herself. He wasn't interested in her. And even if he were, he wouldn't abuse her trust with pretense.

"You should take the bed," she said kindly. "That ship you stole was small. Must've been hell on your back."

Cooper smirked. "What kinda man'd put his house guest on the floor? Nah, I'll be fine."

Brand's heart constricted. She quickly looked away. "Have it your way, Coop. Just remember: I don't do massages."

"That's fine. TARS' hands are pretty warm."

Brand chortled softly as Cooper slid to the floor. She climbed onto the bed, checking the two pillows. She gave Cooper the more comfortable one. He slipped it under his head, sighing slightly as fatigue asserted itself. Brand settled under the thin sheet, lying on her side.

She couldn't see him from where she was, but she could hear him exhale. Soon their breathing was in sync. Her eyes fluttered shut.

"Hey, Amelia?"

"Yeah?"

"I lied."

"About what?"

"You're cuter than Professor Brand."

A giddy grin spread across her face. "Shut up, Cooper."


	2. Cooper's Singularity

**A/N:** A hearty "thank you" to the folks who took a moment to review; I really appreciate it. Thanks to my love for "Interstellar" and your kind encouragement, I've decided to extend the story. Please forgive this chapter's brevity. Typically, I labor far too long over fics, treating each chapter as its own fully-formed story that I have to get "exactly right" (there's no such thing, anyway). With this piece, I've decided to have fun and not over-think it (while hopefully providing an enjoyable read).

Thanks again. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

* * *

It was the best she'd slept on Edmunds' planet. When she finally woke, Cooper was long gone. Checking her watch, she saw it was past eleven.

Brand returned to her room guiltily. She brushed her teeth and showered, slipping on a fresh t-shirt. She took more care than normal with her hair and appearance.

When she felt clean and awake, she walked outside to find Cooper, CASE, and TARS surrounding a small object.

Cooper grinned boyishly. "Brand! Look at this..."

He met her halfway, holding the object in his palm. It was a smooth brown claw—about the size of a dog's. The undercarriage was stained with a light pink substance.

Brand smiled deliriously. "You found this here?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Are there any tracks?"

"Not that we could see," CASE answered. "It was windy last night, though. They might've been blown over."

Brand plucked it from Cooper's hand, holding it to the sunlight. She gave a breathy laugh. "I don't believe it," she murmured. "Proof of life. _Here_."

Cooper gestured to the horizon. "TARS and I checked out the ridge. It slopes into a treeline. That's prob'ly where our friend lives."

Brand snapped her eyes at Cooper. "You went without me?"

"It was only two clicks," he reasoned.

"Damn it, Cooper! What if something happened to you?" she demanded. "What if—"

Cooper grasped her arm loosely. His soft smile dissolved her train of thought. "Amelia, nothin' happened. Just a couple good old boys takin' a little walk."

Brand sighed. It was her own fault for oversleeping. She resolved to wake early now—and to protect him from himself. Charming as she found his pioneering spirit, it was libel to get him killed.

Brand's voice evened out. "Did you see anything up there?"

"Just green trees an' a pretty sun," said Cooper.

She nodded slightly, studying the claw again. "Well, for now, I'd like to run some tests."

"The lab monitors are down again," CASE interjected, "but you can send the readouts to my screen."

Cooper perked up at the thought of broken equipment. "I'll come with—see what's wrong." He threw a look behind him. "TARS: watch the perimeter, yeah?"

"Roger that, Cooper."

* * *

Brand sent her scans to CASE. Then she spared a glance at Cooper, who has half-hidden beneath a table. "How's it coming?" she asked.

Cooper peered up at a mess of wires. "CASE, were you drunk when you did this?"

Brand smiled. "What's wrong?"

"Everything's cross-switched and re-routed."

CASE explained, "We left the adapters on Mann's planet. I had to get creative."

"And they say machines can't improvise," Cooper replied with a grin.

Brand reviewed the data on CASE's monitor. Just as she suspected, the pink substance was blood. But its characteristics were surprising. "This is incredible," she whispered.

Hearing the change in her voice, Cooper crawled out. Brand's eyes were vibrant; she rattled with energy. She gave him a toothy grin that was painfully adorable. It was a smile you want to kiss.

"What is it?" he asked.

Brand gave him her palm, helping him up. She grabbed his shoulders and squared them toward the monitor.

"What am I lookin' at, Brand?"

"Coboglobin!"

"Yeah, I'm gonna need more than that."

Brand smiled sheepishly. And realizing she hadn't let go of him, she dropped her hands and paced. "Okay. One of the functions of blood is to transport oxygen, right?"

"Mm-hmm."

"In humans, that's accomplished with hemoglobin. For other organisms, it can be any number of compounds."

"So what's so special about...?"

"Coboglobin," she repeated excitedly. "On earth, it's synthetic; we created it in a lab. But on this planet, it might occur naturally. The implications are enormous. I mean, it—it—it could mean life evolved here with minimal oxygen. _Or_ it could meant that—"

Brand froze at Cooper's repressed smile. His eyes held a strange light that made her stomach twist. "What?"

"Nothin'. I just—" He paused before conceding: "I like it when you get excited."

Brand tried to hold his eyes before she blushed and looked away. She turned to CASE for a distraction. "Are there other unusual properties?"

"It's difficult to say," CASE answered. "We'd learn more from a live specimen."

"A live specimen," Cooper repeated, stretching out the syllables. "I wouldn't mind some adventure this afternoon."

"Cooper, we're not a zoo," Brand said.

His mouth turned up at one end. "I won't shoot 'im with darts, Amelia. I just wanna meet 'im. Besides, if he's intelligent, we'd be _kidnappers_—not zookeepers."

"I must have Stockholm syndrome," CASE remarked dryly.

Cooper gave him a withering look while Brand laughed beneath her breath. She returned to the scanner, removing the claw. She sealed it in a capsule, then threw a look at CASE. "Will you be okay for a little bit?"

"Sure, Doctor Brand."

She walked back to Cooper, standing unnecessarily close. "You should eat something. Let's get lunch."

Cooper blinked. The clean scent of soap and lotion scattered his thoughts. He suddenly didn't trust himself. "What about the monitors?"

"They won't un-break," she teased, moving toward the door.

Cooper watched her for a long moment. And he felt scummy and rude for how low his gaze wandered.

* * *

Brand went on at length about the importance of the find. He made a good show of listening, but his mind was clearly elsewhere.

When he noticed her staring, he froze mid-spoonful. Her brow was creased in worry. And he thought how under the ring of wire, she was softer than anyone.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I was gonna ask you the same thing."

"I'm sorry. Am I bein' poor company?"

She smiled shyly. "I didn't say that. You're just quiet. Did you sleep?"

"I got what I needed," he said evasively.

"So, that's a 'no.' I told you I'd take the floor, Cooper."

Cooper stared at his soup, stirring it with a frown. "It ain't the floor, Amelia. I'm just..." He shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I just drift sometimes. I promise it's not you."

Guilt swept through her as she recalled weeping in his arms. Why hadn't she thought to reflect that comfort back? He'd been through just as much—probably _more_. Yet he'd taken her pain to add to his own.

She leaned forward intimately. "Cooper," she said, "whatever you've been through, you're not alone anymore. You know that, right?"

In his mind's eye, Cooper saw Brand screaming, heard CASE counting down; he saw his precious daughter through bands of racing light. But these visions were hidden like Gargantua's singularity, preventing Brand from understanding.

Her mouth pinched at the corners. She grasped Cooper's knuckles, drawing him to the present. She smoothed her thumb over his calloused skin.

"I missed you," she said quietly. "_A lot_."

Cooper's breath hitched. Her voice was angelic. He swallowed, flummoxed, before giving a long blink. "I missed you too, Amelia."


	3. Adapt or Perish

**A/N:** Thanks so much to the folks who took a moment to review. I really appreciate it and love hearing from people.

I'm afraid short chapters will be the norm, but I hope you enjoy this installment. Let me know what you think!

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want some alone time?"

"TARS, don't start with me," Cooper warned.

"It's pointless to deny your biological imperative. Perhaps you could hasten its fulfillment with a—"

"If you finish that sentence, I'll shut you off," Cooper said mildly. He placed an extra water pouch in Brand's bag before closing it. "Did you get the fence set up?"

TARS extended his appendage, giving Cooper a small remote. "The green button turns it on."

"And the red button?"

"That sends out a mating call to a fifty-foot dragon."

"Laugh it up, Slick. You're rich in iron," said Cooper, slipping on his pack. "Give CASE the game plan, then meet us out front."

"Acknowledged."

Cooper walked down the corridor, Brand's bag in one hand. His mind drifted to their earlier conversation. More than the words, it was Brand's skin he thought of; it was the gentleness in her eyes. He hadn't considered that she might try to comfort him—or that she'd be so tactile. Their separation and reunion seemed to have sparked some change in Brand. And while he quite liked her before, the changes made her even more appealing.

Cooper shook away the thought. He had to let go of that. She wouldn't want him—and even if she did, what remained to give her? He'd left all of it in the Tessaract.

When he arrived out front, Brand received him impatiently. "Did you stop to read a book?" she asked.

"Relax, Turbo. Plenty of daylight."

He handed Brand her pack, catching a little smile before it vanished. She slipped the pack on her shoulders and looked past Cooper to find TARS approaching. "All set, TARS?"

"All set, Doctor Brand."

Cooper adjusted his jacket, revealing a holstered pistol.

Brand frowned. "Is that really necessary?"

"Nature can be evil," Cooper replied dryly.

Brand thought to ask if he'd ever fired a gun but was afraid he might answer. Cooper slid past, brushing her back, and took the lead out of camp.

"What's that saying?" TARS mused. "'Guns don't kill people. Robots do.'"

Cooper waited patiently. TARS' cue light flashed.

* * *

TARS gave his friends a wide berth. While Cooper and Brand comfortably conversed, their stolen glances created a strange energy.

Brand was acutely aware of his closeness. She tracked a bead of sweat as it dripped down his neck—and barely stopped herself from catching it.

"Not much farther," Cooper said. When she nodded but said nothing, he asked: "You got your breath? Air's a little thin."

"I'm fine, Coop."

"'Course y'are," he said with a smirk. "You got more steel'n TARS."

Despite his tone, she could sense disappointment. And she thought of all those weeks alone, how she'd prayed to have him back—how she'd promised herself there'd be no more lies.

"It's getting to me a little," Brand admitted.

Cooper's eyes warmed. He found a sturdy rock. "Here. Sit down a minute." His hand hovered near her, ready to catch her. It was equal parts unnecessary and endearing.

Brand sat heavily, sucking a long breath. She looked up to find him shielding her from the sun. "Coop, you're not a parasol," she said, sliding over to make room. "Come here."

He ghosted a smile, easing down. Their shoulders pressed together.

Brand's eyes moved over the horizon. The clouds were bunched up to peculiar effect; the sun was brutal at some angles and at others absent.

She slid off her pack, finding Cooper had doubled her water rations. She bit back a barb and ripped the tab off to drink. It tasted vaguely liked metal, sparking a memory. She asked suddenly: "Do you remember much of the Dark Years?"

"More'n I care to," Cooper said. "That's a time taught you who people really were."

"I was with my father underground. I heard stories—horrible stories," she recalled.

"Why do you ask?"

"I was just thinkin'," Brand said, "how often you've had to change."

Cooper took a swig of water. "Adapt or perish," he grunted softly.

He was surprised to feel her palm on his back. It traveled slowly, the heel gently digging, until landing on his shoulder. Then she used him to stand up.

"Almost there?"

"Almost there," he said.

* * *

Brand stood awedly at the edge of the treeline.

The woods were narrow but deep; the path ahead stretched out of sight. Huge trunks scraped the sky like church steeples, red and orange leaves swaying in the breeze. Wispy pink seeds blew about like dandelions.

Brand's wonder filled Cooper through some osmosis. He felt jocund in her presence.

Brand looked up at him, wearing an enigmatic smile as the wind tossed her hair. Without thinking, Cooper brushed it from her face. And he couldn't help his fingers' lingering. Brand tensed but offered no objection.

After a long pause, Cooper looked away. _Get a hold of yourself_, his mind shouted. _You're here one day and you're puttin' moves on the poor woman. That's the last thing on her mind_.

Brand breathed shallowly. For a moment, she was sure he would... but he hadn't. _You're reading too much into a simple gesture_, she told herself. But all the same, she could feel her cheeks flush. And she had a startling epiphany about her own desires.

"We got some daylight left," Cooper cut into her thoughts. He appeared carefully nonchalant. "Shouldn't go far, though. I'm not keen on makin' camp."

Brand nodded absently.

Cooper tapped his radio. "TARS, you good?"

"Affirmative," came the reply. "All clear up here."

"All right. Meet you in an hour."

"Roger that, Cooper."

He found Brand staring at a pink seed resting in her palm. He drew her attention with a little hum. "It ain't Kansas, is it?"

Brand blew it from her hand, watching it float. After some seconds, the soil subsumed it. "No," she said softly. "But it is our home."

* * *

They moved through the woods in comfortable silence. Cooper was "drifting" again, but this time Brand let him. She wanted to comfort him—to discuss what he'd been through—but a man like Cooper seldom succumbed to pressure. If she came on too strong, she might lose his trust. And on this planet, there was no other currency.

All he'd said was that Murph received the data, that he was found near Saturn, and that his children were gone. Brand's guilt grew with each memory of yesterday. She'd been so manic—so overwhelmed to see him—that his loss went unaddressed. How could he stand it? Less than a year ago, his children were _kids_. And now they were gone. How could he be so strong?

Cooper noted her serious face. "Amelia? You okay?"

"Fine," she said quickly. "No sign of our friend, though. Or anything else. I would've at least expected insects."

"Nocturnal maybe?"

Brand nodded. She gave a shrug and gestured to her pack. "It's not a total loss. I can't wait to study these samples," she said excitedly.

Cooper smiled. "Why do you suppose they're orange—or pink?"

"I don't think these plants use chlorophyll for photosynthesis. But I'm not sure what they could substitute."

Cooper stopped, turning back. He could barely make out the treeline in the distance. The sun was dropping from the sky. "I think we'd better—"

Brand screamed. Cooper whirled around to find her dangling above a pit. She clutched the dirt but was slipping fast.

"Brand!"

She lost her grip. Cooper dove and caught her arm. Brand gave a shout of fear and pain. He gritted his teeth and looked past her—unable to see the bottom. She'd plummet to her death.

"Cooper!"

Cooper's eyes set in determination. "I got you, darlin'."


End file.
